Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is infectious diarrhea?
A. Infectious diarrhea is an alteration of normal bowel habits, usually characterized by increased stool frequency and liquid consistency, which is caused by infectious bacteria, viruses or protozoa that infect the intestinal tracts of humans and animals. The infectious organisms are normally contracted by ingestion of contaminated water or food. Some of the more well-known organisms causing infectious diarrhea include Campylobacter, enterotoxigenic or Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Clostridium, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Cyclospora and rotavirus.
Q. How common are infectious diarrheal diseases?
A. Infectious diarrheal diseases are the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are 3.1 million deaths worldwide due to diarrhea per year (more than 8,400 per day), mostly among children in developing areas. In the United States, an estimated 211- 357 million episodes of diarrheal illness occur each year resulting in 73 million physician consultations, 1.8 million hospitalizations and 3,100 deaths. The CDC issued a new study November 22, 2002 reporting that outbreaks of waterborne illnesses roughly doubled in the U.S. in a three-year period ending in 2000. Studies have shown that approximately 20 percent of children in the United States are exposed to Cryptosporidium by age 5-7 years. Approximately 9% of all hospitalizations of children younger than 5 years are due to diarrhea

Continue Reading Diarrhea: It’s not just an inconvenience

Health department officials think outbreak of illness may be contained
January 22, 2006
Kathleen O’Dell
News-Leader
STOCKTON – Cedar County Health Department officials think they may have contained an outbreak of shigellosis, an illness that causes diarrhea and can lead to severe dehydration.
In recent weeks officials confirmed 18 cases and seven probable cases of the disease, which is caused by the shigella family of bacteria, said Linda Mann, manager of community services. She has not seen any new cases reported in the past week, and credits the school system for helping educate parents and children on proper prevention methods ó handwashing with soap.

Continue Reading Cases of shigellosis taper off:

Press Release by: Suffolk First
Published on open PR 01-09-2006

What Is Reactive Arthritis?
Reactive arthritis is a form of arthritis, or joint inflammation, that occurs as a “reaction” to an infection elsewhere in the body. Inflammation is a characteristic reaction of tissues to injury or disease and is marked by swelling, redness, heat, and pain. Besides this joint inflammation, reactive arthritis is associated with two other symptoms: redness and inflammation of the eyes (conjunctivitis) and inflammation of the urinary tract (urethritis). These symptoms may occur alone, together, or not at all.
Reactive arthritis is also known as Reiter’s syndrome, and your doctor may refer to it by yet another term, as a seronegative spondyloarthropathy. The seronegative spondyloarthropathies are a group of disorders that can cause inflammation throughout the body, especially in the spine. (Examples of other disorders in this group include psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and the kind of arthritis that sometimes accompanies inflammatory bowel disease.)

Continue Reading What Causes Reactive Arthritis

December 21, 2005
KidsHealth.org
Named after the Japanese scientist Shiga who discovered it in 1897, Shigella is a type of bacteria that infects the intestinal tract. Four different groups of Shigella can affect humans, with some causing a mild illness and others a more severe one.
About 18,000 cases of Shigella infection are diagnosed each year in the United States, but many more go unreported because they involve only mild symptoms and sometimes no symptoms at all. The infection is most common during the summer months. Shigella rarely infects infants younger than 6 months old, but it is common in children 2 to 4 years old, especially those in child care.

Continue Reading Shigella Infections

December 13,2005
BY JANNETTE PIPPIN
DAILY NEWS STAFF
MOREHEAD CITY – The Carteret County Health Department has begun an intensive public campaign on preventing shigellosis following three reported cases of the highly contagious bacterial infection.
“Because it is transmitted so easily and so quickly, we want to let everyone know so there is heightened awareness of the symptoms,” said Carteret County Health Department health educator Mary Fournier.
The most common symptom of shigellosis, a gastrointestinal illness, is diarrhea accompanied by fever, nausea, and sometimes vomiting and abdominal cramps. There may also be blood or mucus in a person’s stool.

Continue Reading Carteret works quickly on shigellosis outbreak

BY MARIA BARAN
Belleville News-Democrat (IL)
An East St. Louis student has been diagnosed with a bacterial disease, according to Douglas Clark, spokesman for District 189.
The Hawthorne Elementary student was diagnosed with shigellosis, a disease transmitted by direct or indirect fecal-oral contact or consuming contaminated food or water, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The East Side Health District informed the school earlier this week, Clark said.

Continue Reading ESL student has bacterial ailment

2/11/2005 16:41:03
News Talk ZB (Auckland)
More people are coming down with a highly infectious illness which has broken out in Northland.
Jonathan Jarman of the Northland District Health Board says there have been 25 cases of the bacterial infection Shigellosis reported in a week.
Normally there are only a couple a year.

Continue Reading Northland stomach bug outbreak

The Coastal Health District has issued the following:
BRYAN CO., GAó Parents have a new resource as health officials continue to work with the Bryan County community to curb the spread of the Shigella bacteria. Shigellosis is a bacterial infection affecting the intestinal track, and symptoms often include mild to severe diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps.
Since August, there have been 36 confirmed diagnoses of shigellosis in the Richmond Hill area, mostly among school-aged children. The Coastal Health District has created an online survey for anyone who suspects they or their children may be infected. After submitting the questionnaire, parents will be contacted by an epidemiologist with the health district who can provide more information. The survey will also help the epidemiologists track the illness.

Continue Reading New Tool Will Help Parents Get Answers About Shigella

The Enid News and Eagle
By Scott Fitzgerald Staff Writer
Garfield County and Oklahoma State Department of Health officials confirmed Friday cases of a diarrhea illness known as shigellosis have been detected in two Enid childcare facilities.
Registered nurse Linda Farr, of the Garfield County Health Department, said she was “not at liberty to discuss that” when asked to identify those facilities.
Epidemiologist Laurence Burnsed, of the state Health Department, said six children were infected with the shigella bacteria at one childcare center and two were infected at a separate facility.

Continue Reading 2 Enid daycares report 8 cases of shigellosis

The Enid News and Eagle
By Scott Fitzgerald Staff Writer
Garfield County and Oklahoma State Department of Health officials confirmed Friday cases of a diarrhea illness known as shigellosis have been detected in two Enid childcare facilities.
Registered nurse Linda Farr, of the Garfield County Health Department, said she was “not at liberty to discuss that” when asked to identify those facilities.
Epidemiologist Laurence Burnsed, of the state Health Department, said six children were infected with the shigella bacteria at one childcare center and two were infected at a separate facility.

Continue Reading 2 Enid daycares report 8 cases of shigellosis